Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

This family-friendly casserole is a great way to incorporate more vegetables into children's food. For creamiest results, do not overbake. With more than 200 milligrams of calcium, this dish is a good source of the bone-building mineral.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  (8-ounce) package small elbow macaroni
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  prechopped onion
• 1  cup  preshredded carrot
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 1  pound  lean ground sirloin
• 1  cup  tomato sauce
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  fat-free milk
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2  cups  (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (such as Cracker Barrel), divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

283 (24% from fat)

Fat:

7.7g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

22.3g

Carbohydrate:

30.1g

Fiber:

2.1g

Cholesterol:

46mg

Iron:

3.1mg

Sodium:

622mg

Calcium:

209mg